New Opportunity to Reactivate Paints, Inks and Coatings Industry

Since its founding in 1944, the National Association of Paint and Ink Manufacturers (Anafapyt) has had a vocation oriented to promote the relationship of its members with other economic and social actors.

In 1997, with the conviction of strengthening its representativeness, one of the pillars of our organization, the idea of holding a large-scale event arose. This event would allow manufacturers and suppliers from the industry to interact and present their innovations, in addition to holding a series of conferences with high-level experts who would speak on topics of interest, regulations and trends. 

Thus, 24 years ago, and at the initiative of José Manuel Villaseñor, one of my predecessors, the first edition of LACS was held at the Grand Ballroom of the María Isabel Sheraton Hotel in Mexico City. That first edition saw approximately 40 booths and about 100 people in attendance.

Much has been achieved since then. LACS is now positioned as one of the most prestigious events in the sector and has become an ideal international platform to generate networking and business opportunities for companies, while allowing them to learn about the latest developments in raw materials, manufacturing trends, testing equipment and packaging material.

The last on-site edition of LACS generated MX$5.71 billion (US$282 million) as revenue, compared to the 2017 event, which totaled MX$5 billion (US$247 million). The event is held every two years.

However, a lot happened between 2020 and 2021. The pandemic forced us to turn the tables and look at possibilities that we had not explored before. That is how we decided to take the risk of organizing the first virtual edition of the expo, given the need to stay up to date and get together, despite the distance.

Fortunately, our efforts paid off, as we achieved exceptional figures at the 16th edition, with a quorum of 5,000 attendees from Mexico and 22 other countries in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia, especially Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Spain. There were also 25 conferences with experts, 30 virtual stands from national and international brands, as well as 35 sponsors.

We also had two discussion panels, in which we addressed topics of great interest, such as sustainability and economic recovery.  Also, we exchanged 500 interactions in chats, and 13,780 views of the conferences. In summary, we closed with sound numbers and we learned a lot about this new scheme that technology offers us.

However, today we have the opportunity to meet face to face again, and we are fine-tuning all the details for LACS 2022, which will take place on July 26, 27 and 28 at Centro Citibanamex, one of the most important exhibition venues in Mexico City and the country.

For our 17th edition, there will be more than 250 stands from more than 100 national and international brands, distributed in an exhibition area of 7,425m2, as well as two discussion panels and more than 50 technical conferences. The inauguration will be attended by federal and local government authorities, as well as representatives of industrial chambers and companies in the industry.

The reality is that we are excited and we are putting all our efforts into offering attendees an event of the highest level. We are very pleased to have the opportunity to meet again and strengthen the ties that we have been building over the years.

LACS is not only a specialized exhibition for the paints, inks and coatings industry but also an opportunity to create new friendships and business ties, to do business and shake hands, to form alliances and seek cooperation at a time of extreme complexity, The increase in freight and raw material prices due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the shortage of microprocessors, the control of dual-use substances, the freeze in Texas, and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which has also contributed to driving up the cost of inputs, among many other geopolitical factors, have made this an extremely complex time.

LACS is an opportunity to seek innovative solutions that will make this a better world, that will allow us to operate in a more sustainable way and to reach out to each other and seek allies, which is so necessary these days, because only then will we be able to move forward.

Our event represents the industry's contribution to the promotion of economic reactivation and, therefore, the prosperity of our country. For all this and much more, we are truly excited to be able to call on everyone to join us for three days. Together, we will discover all that we can do, united and stronger.

Because that's what LACS is all about: innovation, resilience and cooperation. That's why today more than ever, we are reaffirming our importance as the flagship exhibition for our industry.